Claudia Braun, Living Mindfully Health Coaching

Lifestyle & Weight Loss Coach

· Fitness,Wellness

Tell us about yourself and your business! What do you do?

I've been in wellness for 30 years. And I am invested in a healthy living, lifestyle. My passion is supporting my clients to heal their relationships with themselves, and inspiring them to live a life filled with happiness, peace and joy!

I really like working with women who've been frustrated trying to lose weight, especially women over 40 who've found it more challenging, I help them regain their confidence, their ability to reprioritize themselves and connect them to their empowered, sassy selves.

I coach women (and some unique men) who are struggling get past their story to create a very different future!

I love helping my clients get off the diet cycle because they're a set up to fail. I've created a coaching program uniquely designed to address, the patterns that keep them stuck in addition to educating about foods and simple plans for eating to achieve lasting results.

Why did you start this business? If you were a superhero, what would your origin story be?

Claudia says: I started this business because I fell in love with empowering people to feel as good as they could naturally.

The long version, from livingmindfullyhealthcoaching.com: I spent 16 years of my life on the yo-yo diet spiral.

Standing at my parents’ house, doing the same thing I’d always done eating secretly, I reached out and made a phone call for help. That day I found hope, and walked away from what I knew. Exciting and scary, knowing I needed to do things differently. I’d used food for most of my life; my happiness, my pain, my worries, and my fears. It was my confidant. Changing the relationship felt like breaking up with my best friend. Not easy, but so much better than the pain and hell of my old food relationship! That decision to walk away from food, as I knew it, changed my life forever.

I believe eating well (and living well!) is about changing your lifestyle—not dieting. When you have a confident, compassionate relationship with your body, everything that follows is positive and healing.

What's the story behind the name of your business?

My business name speaks plainly, and leads clients to find their best selves.

Why did you choose to locate your business in Evanston? What do you love about coming to work here?

I fell in love with the community after I began my healing study in 1993 and it just kept drawing me in.

What sets your business apart from others that perform the same service?

What sets me apart is the struggles I had with my eating, and creating life balance had me seek answers and through my journey I discovered my passion. And I what I have learned combined with education I can share with my clients. So they can experience the growth and freedom from suffering I experience.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business?

Trust your decisions and know your business will challenge you, inspire you and help you grow as well as support you financially.